2026 NHL Draft

[Megaterio Llamas]

Eastern Lapland's finest

[Picker of Cherries]

[JelloPuddingPop]

Screenshot_20260318-165529_Instagram.jpg

If I was a scout, working for a franchise that is set to be eligible to draft in the top 3, I'd start saying the same thing about the presumptive 1st OA. Maybe a dumbass set of management will draft a Swede instead, because of something they read on the interwebs anonymously leaving that pick to fall to my team...

[Cornuck]

The Ruck Twins
.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DU14VdtjG2i/

[Meds]

The Ruck Twins
.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DU14VdtjG2i/

Didn’t realize til I saw this clip that this twin package comes with one lefty and one righty…..nice bonus. Doubt we see them in Van, but it would be cool if so.

[Picker of Cherries]

I’ll be happy with their top pick getting McStenKennaBerg, their second pick the best centre available, and the two second rounders (33rd and 40ish) on the Ruck twins. I’m not two thrilled if they use their second first rounder on the first Ruck.

[Madcombinepilot]

those dirty Ruckers are all over the place on draft lists I have seen.. If they are high on them, might be use the late 1st on one of them, and move the 33rd and a third to move up to get the other one. Draft the Ruckers back to back...

[Picker of Cherries]

Button’s list has Stenberg and Verhoeff falling off a bit and perhaps both available to the Canucks at number three, with a group of Dmen moving up. The Ruck twins look ridiculously high on his list, but what do I know.
If there were a way to trade down and get both Malhotra and Belchetz for the third pick, I’d be all over that.

1 Gavin McKenna Penn State (NCAA) LW 5′11 170
2 Carson Carels Prince George (WHL) D 6′1 ½ 189
3 Chase Reid Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) D 6′2 ¼ 188
4 Ivar Stenberg Frolunda (SHL) LW 5′11 183
5 Keaton Verhoeff North Dakota (NCAA) D 6′3 ½ 208
6 Viggo Bjorck Djurgårdens (SWE J20) C/RW 5′9 177
7 Alberts Smits Jukurit (SM Liiga) D 6′3 205
8 Daxon Rudolph Prince Albert (WHL) D 6′2 ¼ 206
9 Oliver Suvanto Tappara (SM Liiga Jr) C 6′2 ¾ 207
10 Liam Ruck Medicine Hat (WHL) RW 5′11 ¾ 176
11 Caleb Malhotra Brantford (OHL) C 6′1 ¼ 182
12 Markus Ruck Medicine Hat (WHL) C 5′11 ½ 167
13 Ethan Belchetz Windsor (OHL) LW 6′5 225

[dbr]

Yeah I don’t know what to make of Button’s list. Rucks are way up there and he’s got Verhoeff behind the other two defensemen because he projects him as a less impactful NHLer.. while comparing him to Ekblad.

I’m guessing the Ruck ship is sailing though, it would have been great to wheel and deal near the end of the 1st to snag them but unless we acquire another pick in the teens before then I can’t see it happening.

[Cornuck]

Another recent ranking (Mar 17)

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/scouts-analysis-latest-ranking-of-nhls-2026-draft-class/

[Meds]

Another recent ranking (Mar 17)

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/scouts-analysis-latest-ranking-of-nhls-2026-draft-class/

That one has the Ruck brothers at 19 and 24.

If you go just based on the ratings they give to McKenna, Stenberg, and Verhoeff.....I'm taking the RHD all day long.

[dangler]

Looking at all the different draft rankings it just goes to show BPA varies wildly from scout to scout.
I'm hoping for forwards, but their are alot of great D in there too.
Chase Reid has risen quite a bit since WJC.

[rockalt]

These latest draft rankings really speak to the uncertainty of this process. Despite way more coverage and focus on the draft, it's still very much a crapshoot.

I frankly don't know what to make of Button's list. I think he's the first that has Stenberg out the top 2 which raised my eyebrow. So far it seems that McKenna and Stenberg or the consensus top 2 picks. Stenberg's declining production gives me pause for concern more than Button's ranking though! I'm not sure how good of a scout he is or how accurate his previous rankings have been but in my mind he is the very bad GM of the Flames. Hard to shake that reputation!

As for the Ruck brothers, so hard to know what to make of them. I was onboard with the idea of using their 2nd round picks on them months ago but there seems to be a lot of momentum behind them. They are all over the place rankings wise but if this hype keeps up, they'll be gone by the first round. I wonder how successful they will be as individuals though - how much of their success is fueled by familiarity? The franchise could use a boost so if they had a chance to draft both of them I could see them doing it.